“No, it wasn’t well at all. He refused to listen to me. Of course, I got it out from my side as well as I could, but it made no difference. He would not hear me. He would understand no excuse.” “And the ladies?” “Mrs. Kingsward was too gentle and yielding. She never opposed him, and--” “Aubrey, the girl whom you loved, and had such faith in--Bee, don’t you call her?--” “Bee--stood by me, mother; never hesitated, gave me her hand, and stood by me.” “Ah, well,” said Mrs. Leigh, with a little sigh of relief, “then that’s all right. The father will soon come round--” “So I should have said yesterday. I left them in that full faith. But since they came back to Kingswarden something has happened. I wrote to her, but I got no answer--I supposed it was her mother’s illness--now I have found that he stops my letters; but something far worse--wait a moment--she, Bee herself, wrote to me yesterday, dismissing me without a word of explanation--declaring she did it by her own will, not her father’s--and adding, my conscience would tell me why.” Mrs. Leigh looked her son straight in the face for a full minute. “Aubrey--and does your conscience tell you why?” “No, mother. I am too bewildered even to be able to think--I have not an idea what she means. She knew all there was to know--without understanding it in the least, it needn’t be said--and held fast to her word; and now I know no more what she means than you do. Mother, there’s only one thing to be done--you must take it in hand.” “I---- take your love affairs in hand!” she said. CHAPTER VIII.